their young son. >> reporter: he was cut from the team two years ago but his former fiancee is accusing him of beater her. she wants his visits with their sun suspe son suspended until a judge hears the case. >> domestic violence is looked down upon and a lot of people are afraid to speak up. >> reporter: the ex-fiancee says she's speaking up to protect her 20-month-old and herself. she is filing an emergency request to stop his visits with their child. >> the level of violence by dad is of extreme concern he choked mother. he would play with his gun during arguments. >> reporter: the attorney released these pictures of scott

beaten and bruised. she put out a video recorded in 2015. >> get away from me. >> reporter: an argument between the couple ends with scott running and screaming with her baby boy in her arms. >> stop! stop! >> i used to record ray just so that he could look back on it the following day and reflect on it. this time i mean i was scared. >> reporter: in a statement mcdonald's attorney says the video now nearly two years old is taken out of context and is being presented to the public to influence pending custody proceedings. she adds her client wants to protect the privacy and best interests of his son. mcdonald was released from the 49ers in 2014 for his off behavior. abc 7 news.

today the president ordered sanctions against russia over evidence of election hacking here in the united states. sanctions targeted russia's top intelligence and security services and four top intelligence officers. also two russian compounds in the u.s. will be closed. 35 russian diplomats have been expelled from the u.s. this was done in response to the treatment of u.s. diplomats in russia and the treasury department can freeze assets of foreigners who interfere in elections. laur lawmakers have promised to take greater steps to punish russia. >> we'll have a russia friendly president take office and it's important to search for the truth and find out how we were vulnerable and make sure we do everything we can so this never happens again. >> donald trump will have the authority to overturn the sanctions, but it could be a risky political move. donald trump responded to the sanctions today saying this,

it's time for our country to move on to bigger and better things. nevertheless, in the interest of our country and its great people, i will meet with leaders of the intelligence community next week in order to be updated on the facts of this situation. there was a flurry of activity outside the con sue late general in san francisco. it's on green street. dozens of people stopped by to get their passports. we are there live tonight. >> reporter: it's pretty quiet now, but earlier today there were quite a few people out here. the media was met by an icy reception from the people inside and most of them outside had not heard the news and when they did the reactions varied greatly. in san francisco an unknown voice over the intercom initially said someone would speak with reporters. a short time later the mood changed.

earlier today president obama announced actions in response to the russian government's cyber operations aimed at the u.s. election. >> if they had not done that, we would have hillary clinton as our president. >> i'm not sure what the truth is so one side says one thing and another side says another thing. >> reporter: a journalist was here to pick up her mother's pension and afterwards she described the mood inside. >> business in usual. >> reporter: diplomats are included in the 35 president obama gave 72 hours to leave the country. >> i'm concerned that america doesn't show good example for other countries how to behave in this situation. >> reporter: russia has said it will retaliate. >> we learn from each other, not punish each other. it's not good for anyone. >> reporter: a sentiment shared by those waiting outside. >> i hope things simmer down.

>> reporter: as the line for passports and other official business grew, so did feelings of uncertainty. >> so we'll wait and see what happens next. we sent out a push alert on this story. you can get alerts from the abc 7 news app. download the app for free. a family escaped harm this morning after their house caught fire. this is video of the blaze. it was taken about 6:30 this morning. officials say the fire started in a plastic yard waste bin where the family put ashes. they smoldered for three days and caught fire this morning. the flames damaged the side of the house, garage and attic above two bedrooms. no one was hurt. tensions were high at the court appearance for two brothers charged with murder in a fatal stabbing inside a target store. tyron griffin was with his young son when he was stabbed to death christmas eve. his family and the suspect's

family were in court. they vow to be back in court next friday when the brothers are scheduled to enter a plea. >> we're going to be here every day to make sure that justice is served. i don't want my husband's life to be in vein. >> reporter: nicole simmons is the widow. christmas eve her husband was with her young son in a target store. griffin asked these two men to turn down their loud music with vulgar language before he was stabbed to death. >> it was two on one. they attacked my husband. he was an awesome man. >> reporter: the two suspects are a 22-year-old and his 25-year-old brother. their family says it was an act of self defense. >> they felt threatened. this is what it is. they felt threatened. they had to protect themselves. it was a self defense matter. >> reporter: surveillance cameras might have captured what happened, but police have not

released the footage. >> i don't believe he would have started that with my son being there. >> we're here supporting our family. i know the other family might be upset, but we're here supporting our family. berkeley police have arrested two teenagers on suspicious of robberies. the two are suspected of robberies that took place before 11:00 last night. three male suspects were with them. all five took off in a silver sedan which was stolen. they crashed at the entrance near strawberry creek park and took off running. the mother of a fallen soldier from walnut creek says she's devastated after thieves targeted the final resting place of her late son. someone broke into the mausoleum that houses the remains of the army specialist to steal a 14

karat gold ring which holds sentimental value for the mother. it has the family crest on it. >> it's a sacred place. a cemetery is a sacred place and that to me is unconscionable. i don't understand how somebody could do something like that. >> roxanne discovered the ring missing on christmas day when she visited her son's resting place. she doesn't know when the theft happened, but she says she wants the ring back. toxic lead in oakland and it's not in the water. in the rearview mirror, two teenagers see this truck plunge into a canal. how their response repaid a debt. more than 500,000 hondas are being recalled. is one in your driveway? i have taken advil, ieb

pro proofen. afoot and light-hearted i take to the open road. healthy, free, the world before me, the long brown path before me leading wherever i choose. the east and the west are mine. the north and the south are mine. all seems beautiful to me.

oakland, home to so much tragedy this year is getting more bad news. young children are suffering lead poisoning at a higher rate than kids in flint, michigan who are drinking contaminated water. we are live in the neighborhood to explain the source of this problem. eric. >> reporter: the information comes from a report from the news agency which took the results of blood tests on children in neighborhoods across the country. here in california this area had some of the highest test results apparently not related to water, but more related to the paint on old houses. in flint, michigan 5% of the

kids tested had dangerous levels of lead in their blood. the source, a new water source that leached lead out of aging pipes. in fruitvail 7.5% of kids had lead poisoning. >> there's something alarming happening, but it's more to do with known factors of lead poisoning which are being investigated. >> reporter: the healthy homes program keeps track of lead poisoning. >> lead-based paint is the primary source of poisoning. >> reporter: 90% of homes were built before lead-based paint was banned in 1978. >> you may live in an older home that you feel has been painted 20 times since 1978, but paint begins to deteriorate. >> reporter: old paint becomes exposed and leaches into the soil.

he showed us other items that can have lead contamination from pottery to canned shellfish and blinds that kids can chew on. poisoning can impair children especially those under the age of 5. it's going to take an effort at all levels of government to fix the problem. >> so wie need to address that issue whether it's the county, east bay mud, the federal government, we need to be more responsive to the children. >> reporter: in the report primarily industrial areas report the highest concentration of lead poisoning cases in kids. abc 7 news. a driver's hospitalized after his car hit two others before flying off the road down a 200 feet embankment in richmond. near hilltop drive where it happened just after 10:00. the car flipped over at the bottom of the embankment. emergency crews rushed the driver to the hospital with

unknown injuries and they found a dog inside that car in good condition. a greyhound bus on the way to san francisco crashed early this morning in kings county. that's about halfway between san francisco and los angeles. the chp believes the truck driver fell asleep, lost control and rear ended the bus. three people had minor injuries including a 6-year-old girl. well now to a story of good timing and two heros who were willing to step up and take action. our sister station has the story. >> reporter: thousands of cars crews along highway 41 every day, but few journeys are as life changing as emily's trip. >> as i was sprinting, i was thinking this is one of the moments that i was created for. >> reporter: the two college

roommates were driving up to fresno to visit a friend. they were a few miles south of lamore when they spotted a car drifting in their rearview mirror. >> i started watching them and then they overcorrected and then the moment i said oh my gosh was when i knew they were about to go over the side. >> reporter: officers say a truck crossed multiple lanes of traffic ending up submerged into this canal. three men were trapped inside and it's a feeling sydney knows all too well. >> i had been in a car crash myself so i the moment i saw it i remembered the people that helped me. >> reporter: a truck crushed sydney in 2015. doctors predicted she wouldn't survive. when she did, there was one thought on her mind. >> it was in that moment that i decided i was going to be a lifeguard because it was the smallest thing i could do to be able to reach out to other people. >> reporter: on monday as other rescuers helped burst open

wiscons windows and flip the truck, she was on the ground prepared to give cpr to the driver. >> the thought we could reach out to somebody and do the same thing that somebody did for me. >> reporter: her actions paying back past kindness. >> the first thing he said after he was catching his breath, he goes -- >> reporter: but passing on to someone else a new chance at life. abc 7 news. >> what a great story. if you take medication, this is important. there's something to be cautious about when it comes to alcohol. >> michael finney ais here with that story. >> it's the season for eating and drinking, but drinking even a little alcohol when you're taking certain prescriptions or over the counterdrugs could be a hazard. drinking alcohol while taking medication is more common than

you think. >> it might be one glass of wine. >> i've had allergy medicine a little while ago and i've had a drink. >> would i do it again? sure. >> reporter: some common drugs can make alcohol more potent. >> in other cases taking medication while drinking can increase their effect or cause potentially harmful side effects. >> reporter: anti-anxiety drugs, taking them with alcohol can cause dizziness or drowsiness. mixing alcohol with antibiotics can cause nausea and vomiting. many over the counter drugs can also interact with alcohol. >> some anti-his means can mix

with alcohol and become dangerous. >> reporter: the health risks can increase when people take more than one medication. blood pressure medicines can cause heart problems when taken with alcohol and if you're on coumadin and have more than three drinks, it could increase the risk of a stroke. so if you're on medication, think twice before you reach for that drink. here's what to do, if you're taking any prescription or over the counter drugs consult with your doctor or pharmacist about drinking. people don't want to talk about it, but it's important. >> thanks. >> stick with apple let's check in on the eagle cam. it's pointed at the nest she shares with her partner m-15. two eaglets have yet to hatch. the two seemed ready to come out

of that eir shell this morning. there were cracks in the eggs, but harriet went back to keeping them warm so we'll keep an eagle eye out if you will for the soon emerging e emerging eaglets. cute story. all right. we have an amazing sunset right now. good evening to all of you here. the high clouds are what's giving us this extra burst of color tonight so get outside, take a look. you will not regret it. you can see those clouds. they're coming in from the southwest as we have a system off the southern california coast that's sending us more cloud cover. if you're traveling down south tomorrow we'll see showers in southern california. the northern extent is going to be sprinkles and that's about it. a live look from our south beach camera. look at the red there. absolutely stunning. 50s right now.

san jose 58. 61 at half moon bay. it managed to get up into the upper 60s there earlier. mid 50s santa rosa, napa. one other live picture you're seeing some clouds fading as the sun is setting. a few showers are possible saturday morning. we're looking at chilly conditions new year's eve and day with showers and freezing cold conditions coming your way next week. here's a look at tomorrow morning. mid 30s to the mid 40s. there will be high clouds around so the sunset you saw, you're going to see something as stunning for the sunrise tomorrow morning. tomorrow afternoon dry conditions, upper 50s to the low 60s for your friday with mainly sunny skies. now the storm impact scale comes in. saturday morning we have a light system. it's a one. there's a chance of light showers. mixed precipitation is possible

over the hills as we get colder air coming in. that's not even the beginning of the arctic air we're expecting. on saturday the hills could be seeing snow mixing with rain. a few showers could show up around 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. increasing in coverage and at 10:00 a.m. some of those showers come back around to the inland east bay before it winds down just in time for your new year's eve, don't you worry. we have you covered. you do not have to sport the umbrella. support the coat though, but 40s, 50s at noon and clouds decrease and as we head into the nighttime hours it's going to get chilly as you ring in the new year. we bring the storm impact scale back in for monday/tuesday. we have a one. cold scattered showers will amount to less than a quarter of an inch. the snow level, here's where it gets interesting, dropping between 750 feet and 1,500 feet

tuesday, you might see snowflakes. i know that sounds crazy, but you might see them. the arctic chill will be coming in next week and it will drive the snow levels down and bring us bone chilling cold conditions next week in the mornings particularly. frost sensitive plants will have to be protected. we're looking at 20s, 30s, wednesday widespread freeze expected and the chill continues on thursday before those temperatures do moderate. 11:00 monday night showers enter the picture. going into tuesday morning's commute into tuesday night and it winds down. download the news app to keep track of these systems. it's dry tomorrow. one on the storm impact scale for saturday morning. new year's eve and day you're dry and monday, tuesday, we have ones, chance of showers and cold conditions. highs in the 40s. it's going to be the mornings

and afternoons as well. >> thanks. sitting on the dock of the bay, the docking station that's turning into a mini destination. find out where next. new at 6:00, we investigate what is stinging up san francisco. there's a problem. stay with us. that story is at 6

zero really can be a hero.ds) get zero down, zero deposit,

zero due at signing, and zero first month's payment on select volkswagen models. right now at the volkswagen sign then drive event. look at this, the world's highest bridge opened for business today. it's in southwestern china that bridge is the equivalent of 200 stories. by comparison the bay bridge is about one-tenth of that. eight of the world's highest ten bridges are in china. honda is recalling mini vans because of a safety problems and effects 634,000 hondas. the problem is a defect with the release lever that could cause

the second row seats to shift during a crash. honda says there are no reports of injuries related to thdefect. dealers can fix the problem for free. harbor seals have a new hang out in the east bay. dozens of seals were sitting on a new platform. the city built and paid for the platform after an old dock the animals were using partially fell into the water. record numbers of seals are drawn here because there's shelter and fish. here is a map of where the seals are gathering. it's next to the uss museum. people who live nearby seem to like having them there. >> they're fun. they're fun to watch to play and if i'm out here walking at night i hear them snorting. it's funny. >> the record for this year happened on christmas eve when there were 49. >> i know you're asking this, are the harbor seals the same as

the sea lions at pier 39? they are not. they are less comfortable around people so this is a unique chance to see them. still ahead, a bobcat who wasn't supposed to survive is now thriving. about to be released back tomorrow's the day besides video games. every day is a gift. especially for people with heart failure. but today there's entresto...

a breakthrough medicine that can help make more tomorrows possible. tomorrow, i want to see teddy bait his first hook. in the largest heart failure study ever, entresto was proven to help more people stay alive and out of the hospital than a leading heart failure medicine. women who are pregnant must not take entresto. it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren. if you've had angioedema while taking an ace or arb medicine, don't take entresto. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high potassium in your blood. tomorrow, i'm gonna step out with my favorite girl. ask your doctor about entresto. and help make the gift of tomorrow possible.

a new state law that let's you dictate your final wishes for your most sensitive assets, your online accounts. whose ready for 2017. we get a bay area perspective on what we'll miss and can't wait to leave behind and what we have to look forward to. michael finney gets to help out a viewer who helped him. that's coming up in half an hour. >> thanks so much. 2017 is starting with lots of hope for a little piglet. this is lucy. she is an extremely rare red

wattle pig. >> she was found abandoned we she was a week old. a farm took her in temporarily. there she learned to do tricks and sit and twirl like that. >> now she has a permanent home. on monday she'll be taken to animal place sanctuary to live with other pigs. >> she's cute. the future is looking bright for a bobcat that was hit by a car last month. >> the young bobcat suffered a broken foot, head trauma and an injured eye. here it's getting trauma treatment. >> she was then transferred to a wild life rescue. she has responded so well that minutes ago she was released back into the wild. so all is well that ends well. >> between the bobcat and piglet, there was too much cuteness for the end of the newscast. world news tonight is coming up next. we appreciate your time.

>> have a good night. we'll see you later. tonight breaking news, president obama retaliating against russia. the crackdown now under way. the president kicking out 35 russian intelligence operatives living in america. shutting down two russian compounds located right in u.s. neighborhoods. the stiff sanctions, payback for those election cyberhacks. and tonight, what president-elect trump has just said and is promising to do. hollywood heartbreak, the world now mourning mother and daughter, debbie reynolds' unexpected death one day after daughter carrie fisher. did reynolds die of a broken heart? new revelations about the medical complications of grief. plus, the major weather alerts cascading across 15 states from michigan to maine and that winter tornado in the south.